


Hazelnut

by alphonseelrics



Category: The Book of Mormon - Parker/Stone/Lopez
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Crushes, Discovery, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mutual Friends, Rating May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-07
Updated: 2018-03-11
Packaged: 2019-03-28 03:07:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13894941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alphonseelrics/pseuds/alphonseelrics
Summary: 8 AM. Red-Eye with two creams and a pump of hazelnut.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i've had this idea on the back-burner for a few weeks now and decided i'd give it a try!

There was something rather ironic in a Mormon caffeine addict.

Six times a week at 8'o'clock on the dot, Kevin Price would stroll across busy streets to the coffee shop parallel to his dorm. It was one of the few consistencies in his otherwise crowded life. Sunday mornings were reserved for church, and the last thing he wanted to do was stumble into a service with trembling fingers struggling to hold his book.

It's not like he drank coffee because it tasted nice, or because he thought it was just another token college kid ritual. He drank it because he quite literally needed it. Being an American History major with four classes a day that kept him up until unholy hours of the morning on a daily basis took quite a toll on his sleeping schedule. On top of that, his dorm-mate, Arnold, would often come home with his girlfriend Nabalungi a few times a week which just made their tiny dorm just that much more cramped. Without a pick-me-up every morning, Kevin might actually risk combusting under the deadly combination of stress and sleep deprivation. Heavenly Father surely had to understand.

The cafe he frequented wasn't anything special- a run of the mill little place sandwiched between some retail buildings. Outside, it was just drab bricks and a chalkboard updated weekly on daily specials. A 'patio', if you could even call that, consisted of two chairs sat around a wooden table outside the display window. Inside was stiff leather seats and tables scattered about. The floor was a rich wood that led up to the front counter. Everyone behind that counter knew Kevin. They'd greet him with a smile and ask how his studies were going. Or his plans for that given day. Then they'd punch in his usual order- a grande red-eye with a two creams and a pump of hazelnut. He truly appreciated each and every one of them- they all seemed to be boys around his age that most likely attended the same college that he did.

There was Poptarts; that's what his name tag said, at least. Kevin assumed it was some inside joke between the employees and never thought to ask. And then Michaels. And Church. And Neeley. He wasn't quite sure if these were their first names or their last names but either way, he'd grown to call them his friends.

7:56 on a Tuesday morning and Kevin strolled in through the doors per usual. The barely-up sun was filtering in through the wide windows at the front of the store, casting that golden hour glow on everything in the shop. He set his bag down on a chair in his usual post in the corner and straightened out his shirt before heading up over to the front counter. Poptarts was speaking to some boy he didn't recognize, so he opted to give him a second. Maybe he'd have a muffin with breakfast. He eyed the display case filled to the brim with assorted cakes and breads and pastries. Yeah. A muffin.

"Morning, Kevin!" He heard Poptart's cheery voice ring over from the register. Kevin perked his head up and offered a gentle grin paired with a wave as he he strolled over to the register. The mystery boy was perched in front of Poptarts, fingers already hovering over the machine to take his order.

"Hello! What can I get for you?" The boy blinked up at Kevin with a wide smile.

Oh, geez.

That was a very beautiful boy he was looking at, huh.

Blue eyes, white teeth, smooth skin dusted with the faintest freckles, all topped off by a neatly styled mound of copper-red hair.

"This is Connor. Connor McKinley. He just started working here the other day,"  
Poptarts spoke with a hum, tearing Kevin from his own head, "Connor, this is Kevin. Something tells me you're gonna be seeing him a whole bunch from here on out." He laughed gently.

Mystery boy- Connor- nodded gently and grinned once more.

"Glad to meet you."

Kevin nodded quickly and ran a hand through his half-styled hair.

"Yes- Yes. You too! Nice to meet you too." He chuckled nervously and cleared his throat, reaching into his back pocket to pull out his wallet, "one Grande Red-Eye, please. Two creams with that and a pump of hazelnut if you could. Oh! and a blueberry muffin, if you please."

Connor squinted down at the screen and slowly began pressing buttons, occasionally guided by Poptarts over his shoulder.

"...aaand it looks your grand total is gonna come out to $4.57."

He swiped Kevin's card and handed it back promptly.

"We'll have that right out for you, Kevin," He winked before turning around to begin making his drink.

Huh.

Kevin liked that boy.

.

That morning, Kevin's drink was a little sweeter than usual. Maybe Connor put in a little too much hazelnut. He didn't mind. Not one bit.

It was exciting, really, to have someone new working at the cafe. Of course, he loved the other boys with all his heart, but anything new in his life was always appreciated. Despite how busy his life could sometimes be, it had a tendency to be terribly bland at times.

He didn't dwell on the encounter, though. He went on about his day. Learning about the Progressive era for the third time in two weeks. Nibbling at the eraser end of his pencil as he tried to wrack his mind on how to grasp Psychology. Scanning the aisles of the campus library on some book about Star Wars lore that Arnold had asked him to pick up before he returned to the dorm. It was late at that point, and he managed to cram in a few minutes of studying before surrendering to the embrace of his bed.

A simple life he lived.

.

Wednesday morning and Kevin awoke to the harsh buzz of his phone vibrating against the wooden nightstand. Sighing into his pillow, he flopped his arm over and snatched it up. The clock read 6:07. Too early for his alarm to be going off. The bright light caused him to squint as his tired eyes skimmed his notifications. An email from his government professor saying that his 9 AM class was cancelled due to a surprise visit from some family member.

Heck yes.

With a grin, he tossed his phone back over to the nightstand and sunk into the inviting comfort of his pillow.

.

With the extra few hours he had been given, Kevin managed to squeeze in an extra few minutes of sleep, dress himself a little better than he usually would, and catch up with his Twitter feed.

But just because he got to sleep in a bit didn't mean he could make it through the day without his cup of joe.

Going into the shop at this time was a little odd. It was just after eleven and it was a little more crowded than it usually was. He did suppose it was lunch time.

There was fewer people behind the counter due to the fact it was past the morning rush, but yet, the place was bustling. He almost felt bad coming in at this time, seeing them so short handed. Neeley was scrambling not to spill milk over the granite counter, Church was hurriedly taking pastries out of the oven, and Green was fumbling over his words at the register. He'd get something simple today- these poor boys didn't need him being even more of an inconvenience. There was only a handful of people in line in front of him and he tapped his foot on the wood lightly. There was a soft classical tune playing over the loudspeaker. The playlist playing on that given day always depended on who opened, and judging by the soft piano, he guessed Church.

He wondered what Connor's playlist would end up sounding like.

Speaking of which- was he even-?

And then the people ahead of him parted and he was next.

Green greeted him with what looked like a forced smile. Kevin couldn't blame him. Working with a mix of short-tempered mothers and hipsters could wear anyone down.

"Odd seeing you at this time, Kevin! What's the occasion?" Church hummed as he'd already begun to punch in Kevin's order.

"Ah, nothing, really. Professor just decided to cancel is all," he thumbed through his wallet to pull out his card, "it looks like you guys are booming, though! Whats up with that?"

"Not really sure if I'm being completely honest. I'm just glad we have that new Connor guy working now. If not, it'd just be me and the two other boys. I don't even wanna think of that disaster!" Huffed as he handed Kevin the card back.

"Is he here?" Kevin asked, looking around the shop tentatively, "Connor, I mean."

"I'm pretty sure he's getting more syrup from the back right now before he goes on break."

Kevin made a noise of acknowledgment before he turned on his heels to find his seat. His corner was occupied, so he had to opt for the patio seats outside. At least it was a nice day out. The concrete was warm and the sun was just bright enough to cast a monochromatic filter on the buildings around him. Maybe he should sit out here more often. It was much quieter compared to the inside of the shop and the warmth hitting his arms wasn't unpleasant in the slightest. The only thing that had ever made him hesitant was the fear of someone from his church spotting him sat outside a coffee shop. That wasn't a conversation he was interested in having with any of the Elders.

He sat there in the early afternoon light for a solid ten minutes. His fingers thrummed on the wire-cage material of the table whilst he watched a menagerie of different people whiz by him. People watching was one of the most underrated hobbies, he thought.

At this point, he was so gone in thought that he barely registered the soft squeak of the door opening behind him. Only until a shadow blocked his view of the street did he realize that his drink was here.

Except the man in front of him was holding two drinks. And it was Connor.

" _Alright_ , I know I've only spoken to you a grand total of one time, but I can't stay in there any longer. Some _deranged_ soccer mom in there is throwing a tantrum because we put foam on her mocha, my head hurts, and there isn't any open tables for me to sit at," Connor was spitting out words at a mile a minute, "so I made myself this drink and I was wondering if I could just sit out here while I take my break?" He looked down at where Kevin was sitting, waiting for a response.

There was a moment of pause before Kevin had registered the question fully. Though, as soon as he did, he was quickly shifting to push his books back into his bag parked by his side.

"Go ahead! I was just getting ahead on some work," he replied, watching Connor place the drinks down in the middle of the table before taking a seat. Upon examining the drinks, it was pretty easy to tell which was his and which was the other's. His was just a nice, smooth dark brown color while whatever Connor had made was a milky white.

Kevin eyed him from across the table and took a short drink from his cup. It burned his tongue a bit and once again tasted supremely sweet. He didn't say anything.

"Hard day, I'm gonna guess?" Kevin offered the conversation starter, prompted by the knit brows Connor wore as he spun his straw around in his drink. Nodding gently, he let out a small exhale through his nose.

"I guess you could say that. It's just been a little frustrating is all," he guided the straw to his lips, pausing to take a drink, "hard to get used to an environment like this."

"Yeah?" Kevin shifted his posture so he could rest his feet on the legs of the chair, "You can tell me about it- if you feel like it, that is."

Connor quirked a brow.

"You're sure? I've heard I have the tendency to talk an awful lot.

Kevin shrugged with a grin.

"And I've heard I'm a stellar listener."

Connor laughed at that, reaching around the back of him to loosen the ties on the apron tied around his neck. It fell into his lap.

"Going from being such a strong sort of- uhm- leader? Figure, to being taught how to do even the tiniest tasks in a setting like this is such an odd transition. Especially considering the one acting as my teacher is the one I'm all too used to bossing around. Having a little part-time job on the side like this is very foreign to me. I was always too busy between school and other things."

He nodded understandingly between sips.

"What do you mean by that? I mean- the whole leadership and bossy stuff?"

The other's eyebrows raised.

"Has Poptarts not told you yet?" And before Kevin could reply, he answered himself, "I share a dorm with Poptarts. Right across the street over there." he motioned to the general area.

Kevin couldn't help the expression of disbelief that crossed his face. Gears in his head began to turn and so many things connected themselves. But no, Connor wasn't done talking just yet.

"I met him senior year of highschool when I was his youth group's leader. We both went to the Latter-day Saint's church just a few minutes from here."

If he was in a cartoon, his jaw would be on the floor in disbelief.

"No way!" Kevin exclaimed with a tinge of excitement to his voice, "That's such a coincidence! I live in that same dorm! And go to that same church!"

Connor tilted his head in just as much surprise.

"Oh my gosh. How funny!" He flashed a toothy grin and took a drink, "I was starting to get convinced me and the boys in there were the only Mormons on this side of town!" He jerked his head toward the shop.

Kevin gawked. "You're telling me that _everybody_ who works here is a Mormon?"

Connor just nodded simply.

"That's kinda how we all got the jobs. Connections. And that's why a lot of them go by their last names. They're just so used to being called the whole 'Elder' title, I think."

"Huh!" Kevin chewed on the inside of his cheek, the smile not leaving his face. "I can't believe I haven't noticed any of them there!"

It was almost comical how he and this boy he hadn't even met before yesterday were a lot more connected than he had thought.

The two of them sat in a comfortable silence for a minute or so, sipping on their drinks and listening to the soft sounds of rubber gliding along uneven concrete. It was probably around twelve by now, and he had to get to class sooner than he'd like, but for now, this was nice. It wasn't often he'd have spur the moment interactions with people like this. If he was being completely honest, Kevin wasn't a terribly social person. Sure, he had his friends and was pretty generally liked by those who knew him, but he was a busy person. And he valued alone time. That was something not a lot of people understood, especially Arnold.

Making new friends was nice, though.

"Did I make your drink alright?" Connor interjected gently, scooping whipped cream out of his cup with the straw. It stuck to his upper lip and he quickly swiped it away with the back of his hand.

Kevin placed the empty cup down on the table before swiping a tongue along his lips.

"I'd say so. Definitely different from how the other's usually do- but not bad. It's like- like I can tell you made it."

The red-headed boy seemed to like that reply, as he just stared down into his near-empty cup and cracked a wide smile.

Kevin eyed his cup. "What is that you're drinking, anyways? It looks like a milkshake.”

"In a way, it is. It's just, like, a chaotic mix of ice, milk, vanilla extract, and the faint _essence_ of coffee. I have a little bit of a sweet tooth. Plain ol' coffee just doesn't do it for me."

"Noted! I don't really mind what form I get my coffee in, as long as I get it. I hate to sound like _that_ guy, but cutting the stuff out of my routine isn't much of an option."

"Yeah? Well, then I hope I'll be seeing a lot more of you around here," Connor teased, pushing away from the table and plucking both of their cups off the table, "I need to get back inside. My breaks over and it looks to have calmed down some, so I'm sure it'll be fine."

Kevin almost didn't want him to leave.

He held his tongue.

"Alright! I have class starting in a few minutes, anyways," he thought a moment, "maybe I'll, uhm, see you around? Now that I know you go there too I can keep my eyes peeled."

The other tied his apron back on and made a soft 'mhm'.

"Even if you don't see me there, I'm almost positive I'll see you here tomorrow morning. See you, Kevin." He waved quickly before slipping back inside the building.

There was probably a minute long period where Kevin just sat there, his face beaming at the place Connor had previously sat.

He gathered his things all together in his bag and slung it over his shoulders lazily. The walk to the campus seemed much shorter with all the thoughts swimming around in his head.

Now there was one more thing outside of coffee at the shop that would cause him to perk up everyday

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where Kevin realizes some things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i feel like this chapter is bad but she's here

  
Over the few weeks or so, Kevin had continued to attend the shop everyday and slowly began picking up on Connor's work schedule. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, he would work the early morning shift until he had to go to class. The rest of the days he'd work some late afternoon hours that faded into the early evening. Kevin would rarely catch him then, as he only dared to pump himself full of caffeine past noon if he planned on pulling an all-nighter. While Kevin could definitely take better care of himself, running on no sleep at all wasn't something he did often.

One thing he did find himself doing, though, was arriving at the place a little earlier each day. _(Especially on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays but that wasn't important)_ It started out by mistake on a day he read his clock wrong. He arrived at 7:30 instead of 8 and ended up with too much free time on his hands. He sipped his coffee while he made conversation with Connor over the counter. It was nice- the place was near empty at the time, spare Poptarts. Really nice, actually. Just the two of them and idle chatting. Business was always slow anytime before 8:30, as their main clientele was burnout college kids. No student in their right mind was up before then. Well, no one besides Kevin.

A slip up turned into a habit. One day he would arrive ten minutes earlier. Then a few more days would pass and ten turned into twenty. Then thirty. He'd use the extra time to get to know Connor whenever he had a minute to spare.

Kevin learned that Connor was twenty- a little older than himself but they were still both sophomores. The older was majoring in theater and minoring in culinary studies. He had a cat named Moroni which was smuggled into his dorm freshman year. His favorite drink to make was anything with whipped cream on top. He preferred cassettes over CD's and listened to an embarrassing amount of 90's pop combined with soft indie rock. He looked down when he told Kevin this, a small smile playing at his lips.

That made him grin right back.

His record was an entire fourty-five minutes early, right as the shop opened. The sun was barely out and they were still unlocking doors- he almost felt bad arriving at such an hour. They didn't seem to mind, though. They just asked him what had brought him here so early.

Kevin's brows knit at the question.

What  _had_ brought him here so early these past few days?

The answer was sat at the very front of his brain, but he seemed to snake around it while he wracked his mind for something to say.

He opted for a gentle shrug paired with a slight chuckle.

"I guess I'm just trying to get a head-start these days." Yeah, that worked.

Connor shook his head with a grin at that as he pushed the door open so they could all walk in. The interior was dark spare a refrigerator light and the barely-up sun trickling in through the glass. It was sort of haunting at this hour, but the second the lights were on, he was home again.

The boys set to work while Kevin just leaned up against the counter, occasionally offering to help whenever they all seemed busy.

Opening wasn't a daunting task, so before they knew it, everyone had slumped off to different parts of the store to do whatever they did while Kevin and Connor were left up front.

Both of them yawned sleepily.

Connor's voice was soft and groggy as it bounced off the walls.

"Here, let me make us some drinks," he mused while he walked behind the counter.

"I'm gonna make a well-educated assumption that you know what to make me?" Kevin teased.

"Maybe," he could hear the smile in Connor's voice, "or maybe you'll get something new today. A surprise, you could say. Something of my very own creation."

Kevin quirked a brow at that, tapping his chin to feign thought.

"Well color me puzzled! Let's see what Connor McKinley has up his sleeve this morning!" he called across his shoulder while he strut over to his usual post. They'd just recently added the much appreciated addition of a few throw pillows scattered about, so he opted to place one just below his lower back while he waited. He was almost positive Connor had brought them here from his mother's house.

"Alright," Connor's voice wavered excitedly as he came over with a drink clutched in each hand, "I hope you're thirsty, because this baby is gonna refresh the _heck_ out of you."

Kevin was impressed on the presentation alone. It looked like some sort of juice with assorted fruits floating around. It was most certainly not what he was used to, but he was willing to try it if the ginger had made it himself.

Connor had already taken a few sips of his own and was watching Kevin with wide eyes, obviously eager for a response.

He took a sip.

And /holy guacamole/ was it good. He'd never tried anything here besides varying versions of plain old coffee, but he might have to start dabbling in the other things this place had to offer.

"This is incredible. Seriously. I'm usually not the whole healthy fruit juice kinda guy, but this is amazing," Kevin spoke with praise before taking another long sip.

The edges of Connor's lips turned up and he flipped his hair all too dramatically.

"What can I say? I guess I'm a professional barista now."

"I guess so!" He laughed lightly and pushed a hand through his hair.

The drinks went fast but yet they still had time to kill. Classes weren't scheduled to start for another hour.

There wasn't a whole lot you could do to entertain yourself in a coffee shop, even if you were in the company of a friend. Experimenting with drinks was fun and all, but things like conversation grow stale within the confines of a workplace. Connor was the kind of guy who hung onto every word you'd say to him- and people like that were hard to come by. People who genuinely cared. And Kevin didn't want a friend like that to die out due to something so mundane as not getting out with him enough. Seeing him somewhere besides a cafe a handful of times a week would be refreshing.

So, he cleared his throat and asked the only logical thing he could think of. It was an overdue question, mind you, as he should've asked for it quite awhile ago.

"I've never asked you for your number, do you think I could have it?"

Connor moved his head to meet Kevin's gaze quickly. The blue of his eyes gave away his slightly blown pupils. When it took the other a moment to say anything, Kevin tried to save himself.

"I just, you're a cool guy. I really like talking to you, you know? Hanging out here is getting a little bit old-"

"No, yeah, of course-!" Connor interjected as he scrambled for a pen. He pulled out a Sharpie from his pocket and used it to jot down his phone number on the lid of Kevin's cup, "We should definitely, like, text or something. That'd be cool. Going out somewhere. Yes. Fun."

Kevin was slightly baffled by Connor's sudden change in disposition, but he didn't have time to reflect before Poptarts plopped himself beside the two with a bagel in hand.

"You took Moroni out this morning, right?" The blonde boy asked around a mouthful of bagel, crumbs spilling out onto the table.

Connor narrowed his eyes. "...No?"

A pause.

Kevin glanced between the two of them.

A sigh from Connor.

Scooting his chair back, he got up and grabbed his keys that had been resting on the table.

"I'll be back, I'll talk to you later, Kevin," and as he was walking out the door, "text me!"

And then he was left with Poptarts, a hastily scribbled phone number, and a very comfortable throw pillow.

Poptarts raised his eyebrows and shot Kevin a curious look.

Kevin simply shrugged before slinging his bag over his shoulder, making sure to remove the lid of his drink carefully before throwing the rest away.

"See you guys tomorrow, then!" he called briefly while adjusting the collar of his shirt.

When he was out the door, he observed the sequence of numbers once more. It was just his friend's phone number he'd asked for. Why did it feel like anything more than that?

Odd.

..

When Kevin arrived at their dorm later that night, Arnold was staring at an open Engineering book that had very obviously gone unread.

"Oh! Hey, buddy!" He got up almost instantly, rolling off his bed to wrap Kevin in a hug.

If Naba wasn't over, this was their usual routine. Kevin would stumble in their shared room sometime in the late evening, Arnold would make feeble attempts at his homework and fail miserably, and then they'd lay on their beds and discuss their days. Tonight was no different, really. As soon as Kevin had set his things down and slipped into bed, Arnold began rattling off every detail of his day. Kevin didn't mind listening. In fact, he enjoyed it. It was nice to let his mind stray away from his own stressed-out head and to focus in on other people.

"...and at lunch I got this really weird quesadilla! Oh! And then Naba tried to help me study during passing period but I couldn't focus because she looked really pretty today. And now I'm here with you! So I'd say today was a success!" Arnold rolled over on his stomach, his feet in the air, staring at him with wide eyes.

"That sounded awesome, Arnold. I'm really glad you had such a good day." Kevin spoke with sincerity, giving a lopsided grin to his friend across the room.

"Thanks! But how was your day?"

He pondered the question for a moment, piecing together the significant things that had happened over the course of the day.

In all honesty, it had been a pretty boring day. Nothing out of the ordinary.

"Well, I mean, it was okay. I went to the library and picked up some new reads, sat through another lecture on Stalingrad, and..." he paused. What else had he done today?

"You didn't go get coffee?"

There it was.

"Oh, no, yeah, I did. I actually, uhm," he laughed softly, "didn't really get coffee today! That Connor guy made me this weird juice drink. It was pretty good. And- oh!" He suddenly scrambled toward his bag, rummaging around in it for a second so he could pull out the lid from earlier this morning, "and he gave me his number."

Arnold gave him the same exact look that Poptarts had given him earlier.

"Or, well, I asked for it. He's really fun to talk to is all! And he's a Mormon like us, I think! I just wanna get to know him better." Kevin set the lid down on his nightstand. It was late right now. He could wait for another time to text him.

"Well, that's pretty neat! I should meet him sometime! I gotta meet my competition for the title of 'Kevin's Best Friend'." Arnold giggled softly.

"No need to worry about that. I'm pretty sure you have that one secured already, pal." Kevin assured him before reaching over to turn off the lamp.

"Night, Arnold."

"Night night, Kevin."

Sleep came easy.

..

The next day was a Wednesday. An indicator Kevin's week was nearly halfway over. And also that Connor wouldn't be making his coffee this morning.

It was strange to have it made by Neeley for once, as it lacked the usual sweetness his friend always seemed to include. He was fine with it though, as long as he got his morning kick. The dawn was cloudy and rain threatened to seep from the heavy clouds at any moment. He probably should've brought his umbrella out with him today, but if it comes to that, he'd just end up using one of his textbooks. Those things were thick enough to help him survive a lightening strike.

Classes rolled by as they always did. Lunch came quickly and, for once in the longest time, he didn't have to spend it cramming for an essay or finishing up his homework. Kevin could actually  _eat_  and _relax_. Imagine that!

He sat.

And ate.

And found himself terribly bored.

There was a substantial amount of time before he had to go to class. There had to be something to keep himself entertained.

Tapping his foot on the floor, chin resting in his hand, he pulled his phone out from his bag. No new notifications. Twitter was dead. As was Instagram. He opened his messages. Connor's sat untouched at the top of his screen. He'd entered it in- just had yet to text it. Now was as good of a time as ever.

His fingers hovered over the keyboard for a moment. _hello. it's kevin. the hazelnut coffee guy._

Setting his phone down on the space next to him, he took another bite of his sandwich. But, much to his surprise, his phone vibrated and Connor had replied almost immediately.

_Hey, Kevin the Hazelnut coffee guy. It's Connor. The expert barista guy._

That made Kevin laugh out loud. People turned their heads to look his way but he couldn't care.

_what are you up to right now? i'm very bored at lunch and my roommates probably off smooching on his gf._

Connor, again, replied within mere seconds.

_Well, that's a coincidence, because I'm bored out of my mind at lunch, too. I can't bring myself to eat the lunch they served me today. This salad is more wilted than a STEM major's dating life._

Another chuckle.

_i've been told to avoid anything green served here at any and all costs. i feel like it's probably a crime to anything that doesn't crunch a salad._

_I wholeheartedly agree._

Kevin thought on what to say next, his nails tapping on the screen of his phone. _anyways, i was wondering if you wanted to do something after classes were over today? its been a minute since i went out and had some real fun._

_Really? I'm down! Hanging out with you sounds nice. What did you have in mind?_

Kevin blinked down at his screen. He didn't think this far ahead. What _did_ he have in mind?

Their city was small. It wasn't the most boring place in the world, but any person old enough to be in college had surely exhausted the handful of entertaining things to do. Movies weren't a good place to get to know someone. A restaurant would feel too much like a date. A cafe- well- that was off the table. Kevin wracked his mind for someplace worth attending with his new friend.

_how do you feel about arcades?_

He pressed send hesitantly. An arcade could be considered a little childish, but it was one of those things a person could enjoy at any age.

_I can say with confidence I can't remember the last time I've been to one. But that doesn't mean I'm not open to going! Are you talking about the one a few blocks away?_

Kevin inwardly sighed with relief. Thank Heavens.

_yeah, that one. meet you there after your last class?_

_Sure. It's a date._

The brunette gave a small smile at the text.

It's a date.

..

The day dragged on longer than usual with the thought of hanging out with the red-head after he got out lingering in the back of his brain. He felt like a little kid again, preparing for a play-date with the boy next door.

Thankfully, the time finally came where it was time to meet Connor. It wasn't too bad of a walk over there, so he could make do.

Humming to himself, he stepped outside to start his walk. The clouds from this morning had remained. Kevin shrugged.

And right as he did, a raindrop hit his shoulder.

And then another. And another.

No, it couldn't-

When he looked down at the sidewalk, dark grey specks appeared as the rain fell. Oh geez. Oh geez. Oh geez. Time to start running.

Kevin ripped his bag off from his shoulders and held it over his head to avoid getting his neatly styled hair wet. The rain was slow and steady now, but it threatened to pick up its pace at any moment. And so he did the only logical thing he could think of at a time like this and ran like a madman down the sidewalks.

Everything was fine for a little while until the rain started to fall harder and his bag provided little protection. His clothes were starting to get damp. He ran faster; like maybe if he ran fast enough he could somehow beat the rain.

The street which held the arcade was just around the corner. Kevin was almost there. Rain lapped at his face.

Running, and running, and running, he arrived. An uncomfortably damp mess, but he was there. Stray stands of hair clung to his face, and his sleeves were wrinkled from the wetness. He looked a mess.

And then there was Connor, comfortably stood in front of the arcade's windows wearing a heavy coat under the protection of an umbrella. For a brief moment, he didn't notice Kevin. Only when the younger boy approached him did he look over.

Kevin tried his hardest to make it seem like he didn't resemble a wet dog in that moment. "Hey."

Connor looked him up and down briefly, grinning widely before bursting out into a fit of giggles.

"Looks like someone couldn't beat the rain, huh?" Connor shrugged off his jacket, holding it out to Kevin, "Here. It looks like you need it a lot more than I do right now."

Kevin wasn't sure of whether or not he wanted to take it. On one hand, he didn't want Connor to end up cold. But on the other, he was very freezing and wet and having his nipples poke through his shirt right now wasn't something on his agenda.

He opted to save his dignity and take the jacket.

"Thank you so much. You're a lifesaver," he slipped into the coat, "I didn't expect it to rain this hard until later tonight. I wasn't smart enough to grab an umbrella on my way out."

Connor just shook his head, the smile not leaving his face.

"That's why I refuse to leave my dorm without one. I would rather die than let the rain ruin these looks I work so terribly hard on." He flashed a supermodel pose for emphasis, winking at Kevin over his shoulder.

"I gotta hand it to you, you never have one hair out of place." Kevin observed, "Should we go inside?"

"I don't know if they'll let you drip all over their carpets. Plus, you need to get yourself warm. What about we just sit in my car for a few minutes?" Connor gestured to a pale yellow buggy sat in the parking lot. It was very fitting for the boy. Kevin nodded and the two headed over to it.

Inside, Connor almost immediately turned on the heat. The car heated up quickly and now Kevin was only wet, no longer cold.

"Again, thank you. I'm already feeling good." Kevin turned in his seat so he could face the other.

"I'm glad," Connor paused to turn his body as well, "did you want to listen to anything? I just got this new radio that lets me play anything from my phone."

"If you don't mind-" Kevin took the phone and searched a playlist he'd made that was composed of only his best music.

Connor hummed along to the first song, which led Kevin to the assumption that he knew it.

This opened up a bridge to conversation. They talked about music. And their interests.

And then they talked.

They just talked.

The two of them, two Mormon boys sat in a parked car in front of an arcade.

Time escaped them quickly. Any time Kevin's phone would give him a notification, he'd ignore it- enamored by their conversations.

They talked about a combination of things- both mundane and enrapturing. From what each other's favorite dog breed was to their opinions on extra terrestrial life.

And with each word, Kevin couldn't bring himself to look away from the boy next to him. The sun had barely set, giving the world around them an orange glow. The neon lights inside the arcade cradled Connor's soft features, bringing out the dust of freckles that usually aren't too visible during the light of day.

And Kevin thought he was beautiful.

Right there, in that moment, Kevin knew Connor was beautiful. Something different. Something new. Something _beautiful_.

Things started to fall into place. He liked Connor. Why else would the boy be on his mind so often? Why else would he let him add two pumps of hazelnut instead of one? Why else would he show up early in the mornings just to talk to him?

It scared him. It scared him and he didn't care.

  
..

When Connor dropped him off well into the evening, he felt simultaneously light and heavy. He could only think to describe it as dreamy.

Arnold was already fast asleep when he walked in.

Kevin climbed into bed and lay down with his arms crossed across his chest, staring up at the ceiling.

He had a lot on his mind. But he drifted off quietly.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> gonna update this bad boy as much as i can


End file.
